Panel discussion I: Central European Media Landscapes: "Convergence"
Thursday, June 10
10:00 - 11:00 h
NoD. Conference Hall

The media culture in former East European countries reflects local
economical and political settings. The ruling political structures tend to
balance between "liberal" and strong control strategies, reacting to current
govermental and corporate interests. The strenght and influence of "public
domain" is often marginalized, even that some areas as environmental and human
rights have developed quite successfully. The strategy of dissent was problematic to
apply in the new "postcommunist" situation. Periodes of softer regulations
were too short to generate broader media communities awareness. A wide range of
movements of "protest", "independent" "sovereign" or "community" media
initiatives operating in Western Europe benefits from its relatively
continuous history (since 60´ies and even more with the arrival of the
electronic networks in 90´ies and the antiglobalist movement) and reached in social and political areas by
lobbying, utilizing technology and an efficient networking (to some extent)
a better position towards the general media
structures and civic society.

Is it better to act for deterritorialising of "mainstream" identities
parallelly to negotiating with governmental and/or market organisations, or
is more beneficial to call for the connection of existing and emerging NGO media
groups into stronger efficiently operating networks? Can EU community media
networks be guaranteed, on the condition, that their independence vis-a-vis
other civil society (non-media) organisations and vis-a-vis state or market
organisations is sufficiently protected? Which strategy can help the
community media operating under the "EU umbrella charity (and control)"
enlarge the influence and keep critical distance towards mainstream
communication channels?

Different point of views presented by the panelists
monitoring different areas of independent media from both East and West
Europe can set up a framework of the forum.

Invited guests, panelists:

Moderation: Jeremy Druker (Transitions Online, Cz)

1. Marc Gruber (France)

International Journalist Federation Europe
http://www.ifj.org , http://www.ifj-europe.org


The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), is a regional organisation of
the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). It is created within the
framework of the IFJ Constitution to represent the interests of journalists'
unions and their members. The EFJ is Europe's largest organization of
journalists, representing about 280.000 journalists in over thirty
countries. The EFJ fights for social and professional rights of journalists
working in all sectors of mass media. The EFJ is recognized by the European
Union, the Council of Europe and the European Trade Union Confederation as
the representative voice of journalists in Europe. The EFJ has its
headquarters in Brussels. The EFJ focuses its work on social and
professional issues relating to the enormous changes affecting the media
industry. It supports member unions in both North, South, East and Western
Europe to foster trade unions and to maintain or create environments in
which quality and journalistic independence can be, become or return to be a
reality.

2. Marius Dragomir - media researcher, CZ, Prague

Eumap - Monitoring human right and the rule of law in Europe
(Open Society Institute, Budapest)
http://www.eumap.org

The EU Accession Monitoring Program (EUMAP) is a program of the Open Society
Institute that is monitoring human rights and the rule of law in ten
Central-Eastern European and five largest EU countries. EUMAP works jointly
with local NGOs and civil society organisations to encourage a direct
dialogue between governmental and nongovernmental actors on issues related
to the political criteria for EU accession. Its monitoring reports focus on
minority protection, judicial capacity, and corruption and anti-corruption
policy. EUMAP has also supported an independent initiative of the Network
Women's Program and the Open Society Foundation-Romania to monitor equal
opportunities for women and men. All reports are drafted on the basis of
comprehensive methodologies, which are available, along with the monitoring
reports on this website.EUMAP Mission. EUMAP's mission is to promote
responsible and sustainable enlargement by:

Encouraging a frank dialogue between civil society and Governments on human
rights and rule of law issues; Emphasising the importance of civil society
monitoring as a source of critical input and impetus for the continued
improvement of governmental policies; Monitoring, jointly with local NGOs,
governmental compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria for EU
membership and addressing clear recommendations to Governents and to the EU;
Complementing and expanding upon the European Commission's monitoring
efforts in critical areas related to the political criteria; Evaluating the
impact of the accession process on the development and implementation of
candidate and member State policies. Reflecting the interests of the Soros
foundation network in promoting human rights and democracy, monitoring
focuses on minority rights, the judiciary, corruption and (together with
OSI's Network Women's Program ) equal opportunities for women and men.

3. Ales Ancipienka - Philosopher, Media Researcher, Belarus

"Media under Authoritarian Rule: Belarusian Case"

BELARUSIAN COLLEGIUM
Pushkin Ave. 77-55
220093 Minsk, Belarus
Tel: +375 (17) 220 63 36
email: belaruski_kalegium@email.com

Excerpt from an article: "Based on the above analysis of the situation, the
strategy of development of the third sector and media should take into
account the above factors, as well as various related social and cultural
processes. It should also take into consideration the changes in the public
opinion in the direction of apathy (instead of enthusiasm) or critical
attitude of a significant part of the Belarusian population toward the
authorities, current social politics, economic condition of the country and
direction of its development. The factors of activisation of the critical
public opinion in the country will be parliamentary and presidential
elections. At the same time it should be taken into account that the present
public opinion in Belarus is not consolidated. Political activities and
public expression of political judgments is blocked by fear of a possible
punishment or other consequences. These factors significantly restrict the
possibilities of large-scale political activities in the country"

4. Robert Horvitz media researcher, Prague, CZ

Advisor for media, Open Society Fund

Robert Horvitz was program manager of the Global Internet Policy Initiative
(GIPI). Before that, he was international coordinator of the OSI Internet
Program, and before that, regional radio consultant for the Soros foundation
network. During the 1980s, as head of the Association of North American
Radio Clubs, he was a public interest lobbyist, representing radio listeners
in proceedings before the US Federal Communications Commission and US
Congress. He is the author if the Local Radio Handbook for Central and
Eastern Europe (1990), which has been translated and published in 7
languages.

The mandate of the OSI Information Program is to promote the equitable
deployment of knowledge and communications resources - providing access to
content, tools and networks - for civic empowerment and effective democratic
governance.

A secondary mission of the program is to enhance the effectiveness of other
OSI/Soros foundations programs and activities through the use of knowledge
media and ICTs. The Information Program is not primarily a technology
program. The program's mission is social. Technology is an important tool
for achieving this mission, but not the only one; the program uses the most
appropriate combination of new and traditional media, as well as policy
advocacy, training and institution-building, to pursue this mission.

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/information/about

http://www.internetpolicy.net/

http://www.itu.int

5. Ricardo Feigel (Halle, Germany)

Medienanstalt Sachsen-Anhalt
Head of the department for Community Media